New To sailing

xcr4000

New Member
I am new to sailing. My uncle gave me my grandpa's old laser that has been sitting for a few years. There are a few little rips in the sail and cracks on the top of the deck. My uncle said that it floats and sails great last time he used it. Is there an inexpensive way to fix the boat up to use(I am a starving college student). also can i learn how to sail without lessons. I am not look at getting into racing or anything just seems fun.

finally I live near folsom, ca and was wondering where the best place to near my house would be. Since the water is so low on folsom.

Thank you for all your help
 
Sure you can learn to sail without lessons. All you need is one piece of information:

if the boat starts to lean over too much, let go of the mainsheet.

You can fine tune that technique from there.

Why not find a flooded quarry or pond that's about 1200mm deep and go out on a windy day. If you fall out, you can stand up and get your bearings without drowning.

Learning from scratch can be rewarding because you can see how far you've come and how fast you've achieved.
 
thanks i think i will try to get out this weekend and play with around.....

I have another question tho..... the boat came with a trailer.. but my car does not have a hitch so i was going to barrow a friends car to take it out. but i saw some stuff about roofing the boat. i have a 95 volvo with a roof rack... which would be better the trailer or the roof... i am leaning to the roof if possible because i would not have to barrow a car...

thanks....
 
I say trailer, if you can find a boat ramp then you don't need anyone else to go sailing. If you roof it then you will need help getting it on and off the car (at least I did anyways). Just see if you can get a cheap hitch for your car.
 
im 18 and up in chico. we wre in the caribbean over winter break, and could take out the laser fleet for free. me and a friend pretty much taught ourselves. came back to california and bought one, took it out for the first time today.
alot different using a boat ramp than the sandy beach, thats for sure. i sail on the lake oroville forebay... its a bit of a drive for you
 
If you plan on teaching yourself i would opt for getting a hitch installed. you dont need anything fancy so it won't cost too much. Youll need a buddy to help you lift to on and off of the car, unless someone has some innovative ideas.

Also, there are so many online resources targeted at new sailors. Just start out on a light wind day, get comfortable using the laser, and see what happens. I would recommend learning about the points of sail, finding out what Irons is and learn/understand what a tack and gybe is.

From there, check out some sailing videos on Utube... its fun and informative and youll know what to expect.

Good luck
 
I would buy a wind indicator, this is indispensable in learning how to sail, one always needs to know where the wind is coming from.
 
She was a total babe back then, and was in Ferris Bueller's Day Off also. You would be hard pressed to recognize her today if she beat you with a tiller extension!
 
Re: Jennifer Gray's nose, was it really that bad?

I agree with R & R, she was a total babe back then!

According to IMDB "Jennifer Grey had her nose surgically altered after the film [Wind] wrapped. When several shots needed to be re-taken, you can see an obvious change in her appearance."

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105824/
 

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